Alex Chambers was not planning to write a book about his 2009 adventure traveling to a WNBA game in all 13 cities, appropriately dubbed, "13 Teams, 1 Journey." Although writing was a passion of his, Chambers mostly had written short stories and theatrical plays—nothing even close to a book.
However, a fellow Phoenix Mercury fan encouraged him to write a book about his WNBA travels. "She actually had to nag me for quite a while before I began the process," admitted Chambers, who is openly gay and lives in Tucson, Ariz. "I'm very grateful that she did what she did because WNBA fans now can share in a very detailed experience of my journey. Not to mention that the story, at least I hope so, will be around for years to come."
Chambers, 37, a graduate assistant at the University of Arizona, published 13 Teams: One Man's Journey with the WNBA in 2011.
"The main reason I wrote this story was for the fans," Chambers said. "When I completed my journey in 2009, I had so many people send me emails and Facebook messages, asking me what it was like. I figured this was the best way to share it with everyone. Also, the WNBA doesn't get enough coverage in the mainstream media, and in other types of publications, including books. This was a way for me to not only share my story, but to give WNBA fans something to take in when they weren't at a game—and hopefully reach out to some new fans as well."
Chambers said the Indiana chapter was one of his favorites. After all, "I had quite an adventure just getting to the game," he said.
He met with one of the Indiana Fever's stars, Tamika Catchings, who attended Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. She gave Chambers a team shirt and he cherished their time together, as well as moments with fellow Fever stars Katie Douglas, Briann January and Tully Bevilaqua.
Chambers said the response to his book, in the short time since published, has mostly been positive. "One piece of feedback I have gotten has been that I should have talked more about the games," that I attended, Chambers said. "I [understand] where this is coming from, and I am sure WNBA fans would have loved to have read more about the game play I witnessed. However, when I got into writing the book, I had to choose a direction, and I chose to focus more on the interactions I had with players and my experiences on the road. Since I wrote the book for the fans, I figured many of them had already seen many games, so I thought I would share the behind-the-scenes experiences I had, which most fans aren't privy to."
Chambers has attended more than 100 WNBA games in his life and is a season-ticket holder in Phoenix.
"To choose one [favorite WNBA memory] would be tough," Chambers said. "However, if I had to choose one, it would be the end of my journey—at Game 5 of the 2009 WNBA Finals. You just can't write a better ending than coming home to witness your team take the crown. Also, there were some interactions after that final game [that stand out.]
"It was probably one of the most emotional experiences I had during my journey, and because of them, those memories are often prominent in my mind.
"With everything on my journey happening so fast, there were two things I felt that I missed out on and would've loved to have included in the book. One was spending more time with the fans. My story as a fan is just that, one single story. It would have been great to include more fan stories like mine, but quite often I was so exhausted, or just busy with things at the games that it was hard to break away. The other regret I have is that I really didn't take enough candid pictures. I wish I had handed my camera to the staff and players to take pictures of me and my interactions with the fans and players I met. I was so focused on getting video footage, so getting still pictures kind of slipped my mind."
Chambers said the book has been purchased by WNBA fans in Italy, Greece, Russia, Spain and England, among other countries. "One young WNBA fan from a tiny town located on a tiny island off of the coast of Greece sent me an email to tell me how she waited six weeks for my book to arrive," Chambers said. "The fact that my story is being read not only across the U.S., but around the world, still surprises me."
Chambers is planning a book-signing tour for the summer after the 2012 Summer Olympics and to coincide with the WNBA season, with tentative stops planned for Chicago, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., New York and Connecticut.
The book is available at Amazon.com (paperback and Kindle). Plus, Chambers offered a discount at www.createspace.com/3598614; enter discount code "S8S4R5TY" at checkout.
